SCARAMOUCHE BEST ACTION ADVENTURE, 1952 - 5 Stars Longest and Best Sword Fighting Scene Ever, Not to Mention Drop-Dead Gorgeous Sets Based on the historical novel by Raphael Sabatini, this romantic adventure set in pre-revolutionary France boasts the longest and best sword fight ever filmed, as well as some of the most drop-dead gorgeous sets ever created. For production values, it doesn’t get any better than this. The set for the climactic sword fighting scene is a version of the Paris Opera House that makes the one in Phantom Of The Opera look like the clubhouse from Spanky And Our Gang. Yet, never has such an elaborate set been put to such good use. Scaramouche, played perfectly by Stewart Granger, is a comedic stage character that revolutionary Andre Moreau uses as a cover for his real mission: to get himself into a position to right the wrongs done by the Marquis de Maynes, including the murder of his best friend. The Marquis is also portrayed perfectly by Mel Ferrer. In their final sword fight, Granger swings on a rope from the stage of the opera house up into the box occupied by Ferrer, thus beginning their famous duel. First, they fight from box to box above the heads of the gasping audience. Granger, dressed in his gorgeously graphic Scaramouche costume, is extremely interesting to watch, as he nimbly makes his way from one tight situation to the next. Then the two continue their fight into the balcony hallway, down a lavish staircase, descending by jumping onto a sofa below. Next, they make their way into the first floor gallery, leaping across rows of seats as the audience members do their best to get out of the way. Then they move onstage, then backstage, smashing and overturning props and set pieces as they go. When they finally finish, both men are exhausted - and for good reason! I don’t know how long the sword fight lasts, but it is supremely entertaining throughout. The film contains the typical studio stereotypes of the period, but it is so visually stunning, and the actors so interesting to watch, these flaws are easily overlooked. It’s hard to believe Scaramouche didn’t win a single Oscar in 1952, because everyone did such superb work. This film set a new standard for swordsmanship that has never been equaled, even by such films as Pirates Of The Caribbean, which seems impotent by comparison. The sequence of the two men fighting on the golden opera boxes set against the red décor of the opera house is one you’ll never forget. Waitsel Smith, October 25, 2006 Text, © 2006 Waitsel Smith. Pictures, © Warner Home Video. All Rights Reserved.

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